Meet Cindy Li | Uproot Teas Founder & Tea-EO

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cindy Li and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cindy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I’ve always loved tea. From a young age, I started drinking tea way more than anyone else in my family.

For me, tea has always meant comfort and connection: a source of warmth on a cold New England day, an excuse to slow down with a friend. Tea is deeply woven into my heritage; something that I hold closely to who I am. I fondly remember visiting tea gardens while touring China as a Chinese-American, wondering which oolong I should bring back to California for my parents. These wonderful core memories of an early connection I formed with tea slowly blossomed into a rich passion. During my senior year of college I researched the commodity tea trade for an economics paper and learned all about the inefficiencies and inequities of the industry – with centuries-old structures rooted in colonialism. Last September, I had the incredible opportunity to spend a month in Hawai’i working with a small, up-and-coming tea farm to learn all about tea growing and production

Throughout this entire process,I keep finding myself circling back to one thing that has been a constant comfort during the trials and tribulations of being a 1.5-generation Chinese American woman entrepreneur: a sense of community. Building a community – whether it’s with other children of immigrants seeking a sense of belonging, with other small businesses in food & beverage, or with people who share a desire to slow down & promote anti-hustle culture – is the reason why we do what we do.

In a relentless age of hustle culture, we are here as a gentle reminder that rest is just as important. If slowing down for one moment during your day to enjoy a nice hot cup of our tea is something we can provide for you, then our mission as a brand has been accomplished. Uproot Teas was created not just to carefully curate quality products for our customers, but to remind everyone to take care of each other and ourselves.

Being an Asian woman-owned small tea company in a predominantly white dominated tea industry, we are so proud of the minor and major things that set Uproot Teas apart:

1. Real, loose leaves only
2. Direct partnership with tea farmers – cut out the middleman to be able to provide tea farmers with the compensation they deserve
3. Zero waste company with 100% compostable packaging
4. Asian woman-owned small business

It’s been nothing short of a magical journey. I now have 3 amazing farm partners sustainably growing and producing artisan, small batch loose leaf teas and botanicals, and I am beyond excited to share them with you.

As Uproot Teas continues to grow, we cannot wait to continue empowering small family farms while elevating loose leaf tea culture.
What should our readers know about your business?
Although tea is the #1 consumed beverage after water, and 80% of US households drink tea, the industry hasn’t seen meaningful innovation since the colonial tea trade was established 300 years ago. Meanwhile, coffee experienced 3 waves of growth that brought us amazing brands like Blue Bottle, Intelligentsia, Stumptown. With growth in premium craft products, conscientious consumerism, and wellness, I believe in the next 5 years tea will become as nuanced an experience as coffee, and Uproot is here to lead the way.

Our customers are the sustainability generation: people who care to learn about where their products come from and how these products impact their health, wellbeing, and the environment. Uproot uniquely meets their needs by:

– giving consumers the tastiest tea ever & creating education and demand for quality, transparency, and equity

– sourcing directly from farm partners, who determine our prices and thus are able to make fair wages

There currently do not exist any premium tea companies that offer high quality products, a mission to get behind, and stellar branding at scale — everything that would appeal to the socially conscious premium consumer. Uproot distinguishes itself by doing 4 key things:

1) Real, loose leaves handcrafted in small batches by independent farmers

2) Transparent & efficient supply chain that appeal to conscientious consumers and minimize costs

3) Mission-driven to support regenerative farms and environmental sustainability

4) Leader in tea content creation, reaching consumers through engaging educational content to drive awareness & demand

I am most proud of Uproot’s positive economic impact on our farm partners. Our prices are set by our farm partners; not the commodity market. By cutting out middlepeople in the supply chain, we are able to pay our farm partners 20-100x fair trade prices. We have found our consumers willing to pay more for high quality, ethically sourced products from a transparent, trustworthy brand. And we aim to continue building upon this.

Uproot’s mission is to celebrate & elevate loose-leaf tea culture while empowering small, independent growers.

We aim to change the way that tea is both consumed and supplied in the US. By giving consumers the highest quality tea ever, we educate and create demand for high quality, whole-leaf teas – the best for taste, sustainability, and equity. By sourcing directly from farm partners, we ensure transparency and sustainability in our supply chain, putting money and power in the hands of growers rather than middlepeople, enabling us to pay farm partners 20-50x fair trade prices.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in the beautiful city of Boulder, surrounded by mountains and trails. I always love to take my guests on a beautiful hike or mushroom forage (if it’s the season!) in the forest, followed by afternoon tea at the Boulder Dushanbe Tea House.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are many organizations I would love to shout out.

Uproot partners with local, independent retailers and cafes to supply them with healthful & delicious teas. These stores value quality, sustainability, and direct-trade. We frequently donate products to events of organizations with similar values, such as the Asian American Intl Film Festival, promoting AAPI representation on screen.

On an industry level, Uproot Teas is a proud member of (included) CPG – a nonprofit network of BIPOC founders in the CPG space. I am a core team member, partnering directly with the New Hope Network Natural Products Expo  & Specialty Food Association to create opportunities & spaces for BIPOC entrepreneurs at industry trade shows and events.
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We are also a proud member of the Organic Trade Association & I sit on the Diversity Council, leading initiatives to make Organic more accessible to diverse audiences.

Website: https://uprootteas.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/uproot.teas

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/uprootteas

Facebook: https://facebook.com/uprootteas

Tiktok: https://tiktok.com/@uproot.teas

Image Credits
Cherry Li Winnie Tin